Three Years
by Ryo Hoshi
Summary: [AU, AR] On her 16th birthday, Arlong gave Nami a husband.  Three scenes, from three consecutive birthdays.  Oneshot


_**Three Years**  
by Ryo Hoshi_

Nami was not quite sure why Arlong had decided she ought to get a husband for her 16th birthday, but she had some very strong guesses. She was, however, much more worried about his _taste_ in potential husbands for her. He had been quite clear about how he considered humans to be ugly; it rather made her hope that Arlong had not, when choosing her new husband for her, considered his looks.

She might have to work with fishmen, but she did _not_ want to have sex with them. She'd actually prefer it if he'd sold her hand to the highest _human_ bidder; even if whomever had won had been old and ugly, she'd still be married to a human.

It wasn't like she'd have a choice, whomever she was now married to. Arlong had made it quite clear it was already done, and there was nothing she could do to get out of it.

Nami felt rather glad that at least whomever he'd selected for her _probably_ wouldn't hurt her much. Arlong had made it quite clear that her marriage changed nothing and she was still part of his crew. Arlong took care of his crew, even her.

She just hoped he was rich enough to make up for whatever defects in his looks & personality made him have to buy a wife. Rich men usually didn't need to pay.

Nami opened the door to her room, bracing herself for the worst...

...which did _not_ include a boy younger than herself.

She stared at him. He looked...innocent, eyes wide beneath his straw hat. He blinked at her, then grinned. "Hi! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Are you Nami?"

Nami couldn't help herself and grinned back. "Yeah." Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't going to be too bad. He looked a lot better—and _much_ nicer—than she'd expected...

* * *

By the time her 17th birthday & their first anniversary came, Nami's opinion of Luffy was not much different than what her first impression had been. He had some unexpected flaws, mainly his wish to be a pirate, but his naive innocence gave his wife hope of him coming to his senses. He had several very endearing habits as well, particularly that of doing his best to cheer her up. When she'd asked him, their first morning together, what he thought being married was about...

She grinned and nuzzled his neck as she remembered his answer. It had been the best thing she'd heard from him: "Cuddling and cheering each other up?" It had been endearingly innocent, and a vast relief to his bride.

Even after a year of being married, she'd not managed to figure out what Arlong's true purpose had been. Nami was not going to complain—Luffy was a pleasure to snuggle against at night, and had turned out to be incredibly determined to be a good husband. Still, she was certain that she didn't want to risk getting pregnant while still in Arlong's grasp, and just as sure she didn't want Arlong to discover that she'd decided to wait.

She was disturbed from her thoughts by him shifting and his snores quieting as he slipped into a deeper sleep. It didn't matter to her anymore that their marriage had been Arlong's doing. She was content.

Nami closed her eyes, deciding that pirates had not taken _everything_ away from her—not that she liked them any more for it.

* * *

On her 18th birthday, Nami was for once in a celebratory mood. She was very, very close to having all the money she needed; she felt that the remainder would be hers within a month, perhaps less.

The fact that she was home where Luffy, and a well-stocked kitchen, awaited her also helped. Exactly how her bottomless pit of a husband managed to make sure there was enough food for her as well as himself was nearly as much of a mystery to Nami as how, exactly, he was managing to pay for it all himself. Whatever else, though, it meant that when at home Nami got to sleep on a full stomach as well as with a warm body close against her own.

It was getting very hard, really, to keep leaving that behind.

Her husband cuddled close against her back. "Hey, Nami..."

"Mm?" She twisted so she could see part of his face. She blinked as she realized how unusually serious his expression was. "What is it, Luffy?"

He smiled, nearly all traces of seriousness vanishing. "What's your dream?"

She stared at him—why had he waited until now to ask? More importantly, why was he asking _now_? Nami was certain he didn't know about the deal she had with Arlong...

"...I want to make a map of the entire world."

Luffy grinned and kissed her cheek. "Let's do it together."

His wife blinked, surprised. "Luffy...?" she said, as she realized that he was serious. Nami wriggled, turning around to face him, and grinned back. "Let's!"

He laughed, kissing her again, this time on the lips, and Nami decided it was time...and that she truly did wish to be _Luffy's_ wife in more than just name.

Afterwards, Luffy nuzzled Nami's neck, trailing kisses down. She whimpered a soft protest. "Please, Luffy...not again tonight..."

He pulled away, his confusion quite evident. "Why not, Nami?"

His wife smiled sleepily. "I'm tired, and I'm not made of rubber, dear..." Nami kissed him. "I'm not used to stretching like that."

The rubber man's confusion momentarily deepened before fading. "You're sore...right?"

She nodded, yawning. "Tired, too." Snuggling against him, she added, "Maybe in the morning, Luffy?"

The moment her husband grinned, Nami realized that he was taking that 'maybe' as a 'definitely.' She sighed softly; maybe in the morning she'd feel better.

Nami relaxed soon, though, after he'd fallen asleep—and it had felt different from usual, with no fabric at all between them as he'd wrapped his arms and legs around her, octopus-style. It felt...perfect.

It also felt incredibly erotic and made her quite certain that she would be quite frustrated if she wasn't up to it in the morning.

Nami nuzzled his hair, his nose buried against her neck. It was alright, she decided, that Luffy still wanted to become the Pirate King. He had taken nothing from her except what she'd given to him, and she was certain now that Luffy would never force her to give him anything. She could trust him, would always be able to trust him to never do to her (nor, she was sure, others) what Arlong had done to her.

She knew, now, that she didn't hate _all_ pirates, and felt certain that there was nothing her husband could do to make her hate him. Even if he did become the next Pirate King...


End file.
